Rio's piece on Vida from UTD website

Raees

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Can you imagine coming into an environment where you're getting roasted every training session by Rooney, Ronaldo and Saha?

That's what you call a baptism of fire!

With our attack of the time, 95% of Europe must have felt like a piece of piss for our backline to deal with.

Bet that's how it felt for Baresi and co. dealing with Van Basten and Gullit every day.
Great to see Saha get recognised by Rio by the way.. for one of the modern generations greatest to say you’re a nightmare striker to train against says it all about what he could have achieved injury free.
 

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I feel the dropping of standards of United is certainly in part because replacing brilliant players with mediocrity means the standard of training simply isn’t there for your players at the other end of the pitch. Reading about Vidic coming into training against Rooney, Ronaldo and Saha, one wonders how damaging it’s been to our defenders to be facing Depay, a half-present DiMaria or a half-fit Sanchez, or to our attackers to be training against Jones or Bailly. Interesting stuff.
 

Fortitude

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Great to see Saha get recognised by Rio by the way.. for one of the modern generations greatest to say you’re a nightmare striker to train against says it all about what he could have achieved injury free.
Absolutely. Saha's two biggest blights were his confidence issues and those damn injuries, but outside of that, he had everything needed to be world class.
 

Foxbatt

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Vidic also looked the part. The short hair and that tough East European look. No big time Charlie look like Terry who was a fantastic defender by the way.
You don't want Vidic looking at you even outside the pitch.
 

RedRob

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This is the first piece I've seen that gives Vidic any credit for his intelligence in his defending. He tends to be remembered as a "HULK SMASH" defender and while it's true that he was brave and physical, he wasn't an oaf just doing as he was told.
Like, ten years ago, if you went into the post-match ratings, you pretty much always saw Vidic - 8, mad Serbian r*pist as a grade. Nice to see Ferdinand say he was a reflective player who wanted to form an intelligent partnership.
 

golden_blunder

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I stand by Vidic is still the best header of the ball I’ve ever seen, he would just win everything. Like someone above said he was an absolute magnet for everything into the box. Just an absolute beast and a massive personal inspiration of mine playing at the back. Doesn’t get enough credit if anything, I think was was far better than Terry for example but he’s often forgotten in the all time lists.
I agree, he was just supreme in the air. It’s why I find it hard to accept lindelof. I just can’t have a cb who isn’t prepared to go and head the ball
 

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Brilliant from Rio. A period of fandom where I seldom worried about opposition strike forces because the Vida-Rio-EVdS trio was so formidable.

I like the fact Rio & other seniors were sizing up newcomers saying they need to do better; we need that in the squad now more than ever.
 

Raees

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Brilliant from Rio. A period of fandom where I seldom worried about opposition strike forces because the Vida-Rio-EVdS trio was so formidable.

I like the fact Rio & other seniors were sizing up newcomers saying they need to do better; we need that in the squad now more than ever.
What I took away from it was players are far too judgmental and what is more important is having managers with great judgement (patient with the right players and ruthless with the deadwood). Players are too emotional and quick to judge either way. Fans are similar in this respect.
 

Sandikan

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Vidic is why I always thought there was hope for Lindelof. They’re not in the same league, but when he first came Lindelof looked so out of his depth.
That's a pretty sketchy reason to have hope for someone!
But I applaud your positivity!!
 

Denis79

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This is the first piece I've seen that gives Vidic any credit for his intelligence in his defending. He tends to be remembered as a "HULK SMASH" defender and while it's true that he was brave and physical, he wasn't an oaf just doing as he was told.
Like, ten years ago, if you went into the post-match ratings, you pretty much always saw Vidic - 8, mad Serbian r*pist as a grade. Nice to see Ferdinand say he was a reflective player who wanted to form an intelligent partnership.
Don't believe it's possible to become a world-class player without football intelligence, Vidic was of the highest calibre.
 

Joga Bonito

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Can you imagine coming into an environment where you're getting roasted every training session by Rooney, Ronaldo and Saha?

That's what you call a baptism of fire!

With our attack of the time, 95% of Europe must have felt like a piece of piss for our backline to deal with.

Bet that's how it felt for Baresi and co. dealing with Van Basten and Gullit every day.
Don't forget Ruud too, as if that bunch wasn't enough to play against :lol: . Must have been an absolute nightmare to train against.
 

12OunceEpilogue

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Great to see Saha get recognised by Rio by the way.. for one of the modern generations greatest to say you’re a nightmare striker to train against says it all about what he could have achieved injury free.
I love Saha, at his best he was a great player and his injuries robbed him of a truly great career.

That's a very nice piece from Rio OP, be sure to link to Vida's tomorrow :devil:
 

2 man midfield

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That's a pretty sketchy reason to have hope for someone!
But I applaud your positivity!!
I mean they’re nothing alike, but at first Lindelof looked like he’d come from the SPL or something. It wasn’t until his second season that he looked anywhere near the part.
 

Sandikan

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I mean they’re nothing alike, but at first Lindelof looked like he’d come from the SPL or something. It wasn’t until his second season that he looked anywhere near the part.
He's much improved for sure. But he's still someone I'd imagine 90% minimum of our fanbase would upgrade on in a second.

I'm always surprised to hear he's 6ft 2. Some players have heading ability beyond what their height would suggest they should have, he's the opposite!
 

2 man midfield

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He's much improved for sure. But he's still someone I'd imagine 90% minimum of our fanbase would upgrade on in a second.
Myself included tbh. It’s weird, we have a great record at the back, yet I’m not 100% sold on any of our centre backs.
 

Sandikan

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Myself included tbh. It’s weird, we have a great record at the back, yet I’m not 100% sold on any of our centre backs.
Maguire has had a few dodgy moments as well, which I expect a lot of us glaze over more with him than Lindelof. Perhaps in some sort of, "But look at who he has to play with" sort of style.
I suppose the acid test if we get some pacy don back there, and Maguire still makes errors.

But as Van D showed with a few at the end of the season, football has no hiding place. All the top players make mistakes, all goalies make horrible howlers. Schmeichel has made many dreadful ones since the re-start, that if he played for us he'd have had a thread in 100s of pages.
 

thepolice123

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Look at the attack they were up against during their time in the PL:

Gerrard and Torres
Adebayor and Van Persie
Drogba, Lampard and Anelka
Berbatov and Keane
 

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That whole back 5 of Neville-Ferdinand-Vidic-Evra with VDS behind them was insane. It had everything. Even when Neville was at his end, it was easy for someone to walk into that RB position and have confidence, because he knew what the other 4 were going to bring. Vidic was also the best player in Fergie's 2nd last title, and last CL Final run. Even with Rio constantly battling injury's (leading to a lot of Smalling), and a rotation of RB (a lot of O'Shea with some Rafael and Smalling), Vidic brought a rock certainty of our ability to shut the opposition down, obviously Evra and VDS helped too. In my opinion, they are the best CB duo we have seen in the EPL, and arguably the best I've seen worldwide in the last 20 or so. Just like Keane-Scholes gave us a certainty of being able to control the middle of the park, these guys gave us a certainty even if you got past Scholes/Carrick/Fletcher, that you were going to have a very tough time converting on that chance. Both Club and EPL legends and for obvious reasons. They matched and surpassed what Bruce/Pallister set for us. And the back 5 as a unit gave us a level comparable to Neville (who was part of both)-Stam-Johnson (or Berg)-Irwin with Schmeichel behind them did.
 

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Favorite CB pairing in all my time watching football, both as a United fan and as a football fan on the whole
 

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Myself included tbh. It’s weird, we have a great record at the back, yet I’m not 100% sold on any of our centre backs.
While under SAF we were known for our direct and attacking play. We really were spoiled at the back for most of his career. The only time of uncertainty was post-Schmeichel and Stam, until we established the back 5 (with Neville in and out of the line-up) that helped lead us to 3 straight EPL titles, a CL win, and a CL final. His last team had some issues due to Vidic not being quite the same after the knee injury, but Ferdinand delivered, De Gea broke out, Rafael was good when healthy, Smalling/Jones/Evans could all deliver next to a wise veteran of either Rio or Vidic, and Evra was still Evra. Our current D, has rarely had a rock among the back 4 to really guide them. Hopefully, AWB and Maguire can be these vets to establish this (along with hopefully DDG rediscovering his form).
 

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I remember the game against Everton in the semi final at Wembley. Everton just lumping balls to Fellaini and Vidic didn't lose one header, it was demoralising for Fellaini. Vidic would just clatter into him and win the ball. It would actually be a nightmare to play against that partnership. As a striker, you try to occupy yourself against the weaker CB. Go play against Vidic, comes in the air you have no chance of winning it and your taking a hit, balls comes into feet and your getting smashed. Try run in behind and Rio is there covering, Rio himself was very good in the air and would be decent in the tackle.

Try and ghost into spaces between them in the box and VDS would be communicating behind them. It really was a fearless partnership. Some many leaders in that team, you had VDS, Rio, Vidic, Evra, Scholes, Giggs, Rooney and Ronaldo who led by example. Even players like Fletcher and Brown were proper men. Park threw himself about and of course, Tevez.
 

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God, there is a woman inside me, reading this just brought tears into my eyes,
Not just about Vidic but when I think about that whole team between 2006-2013 years. so many sacrifices behind the scenes, togetherness and so much determination to become a team like that.

If they thought Vidic cant cut it, I am wondering what they might have thought about Kleberson, Djemba-Djemba, Obertan, Bebe
Yeah brings back a lot of good memories thinking about that team. Even more so now.
 

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This is the first piece I've seen that gives Vidic any credit for his intelligence in his defending. He tends to be remembered as a "HULK SMASH" defender and while it's true that he was brave and physical, he wasn't an oaf just doing as he was told.
Like, ten years ago, if you went into the post-match ratings, you pretty much always saw Vidic - 8, mad Serbian r*pist as a grade. Nice to see Ferdinand say he was a reflective player who wanted to form an intelligent partnership.
Agreed.

Also the part where they say he's a deep thinker and ice cool emotionally. Compare to Rio who can be more impulsive and deeply emotional.